A Neon-Blue Cocktail Inspired by Elvis

At Kings County Imperial, a modern Chinese restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, beverage manager Richard Murphy looks to Elvis for inspiration.

The Coco Palms, a neon-blue rum-based cocktail that somehow manages to look both appetizing and sophisticated, is named after a (now long gone) hotel in Hawaii where the 1961 film Blue Hawaii was filmed. Murphy says the drink—a take on the iconic Blue Hawaii cocktail (jury’s still out on which name came first)—is inspired by the folklore of the former resort, which was once frequented by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. “I can see Elvis crushing three or four of these before he takes the stage in a sequined jumpsuit, for sure," he says.

One sip of the festive drink, which Murphy garnishes with edible flowers from the restaurant’s own garden in the summer months, and you might feel like doing the same.

Instructions: Shake all ingredients fiercely with ice and strain over a rocks glass with fresh ice. Grate a small amount of nutmeg over the drink and garnish with a fresh piece of pineapple or edible flowers.